RENTON, Wash. — Richard Sherman grew up in Compton, one of the worst neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area with crime on nearly every corner. He went to Dominguez High School, where the reality for most was either succeed in sports or end up on the streets like so many others.

So when the Seahawks cornerback went home Sunday night after making the winning play to seal Seattle’s victory over the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game — earning his team a berth in Super Bowl XLVIII — he was stunned by one word he kept hearing to describe him. Repeated on nearly every channel on the dial — from CBS to NBC, CNN to ESPN — was his ranting postgame interview on Fox, followed by commentators calling him a "thug."

"The only reason why it bothers me, is because it seems like it’s the accepted way of calling somebody the N-word nowadays,’" Sherman said Wednesday afternoon. "It’s like everybody would say the N-word, now they say, ‘thug.’ That’s where it kind of takes me aback. It’s kind of disappointing. Because they know what the definition of a thug is, really. Maybe I’m talking loudly or something or talking like I’m not supposed to. ... But I’m really disappointed with being called a thug."

In his first meeting with the media since the public backlash over the postgame interview — in which he lashed out at Niners receiver Michael Crabtree, whom he successfully denied a potential game-winning touchdown catch — Sherman provided an open, honest and often times emotional defense of his character.

The 20-minute, 45-second news conference — during his regularly scheduled weekly availability — provided the third-year corner the opportunity to clarify, defend and remain unapologetic for his remarks. While he doesn’t think he’s a villain because of his remarks, he apologized for distracting from the play of his teammates against the 49ers. And he was adamant that he is not a thug.

"It does," Sherman said when asked if the term presses an emotional button for him. "Because I know some ‘thugs.’ And they know I’m the farthest thing from a thug. Coming from where I’m from, I’ve fought that my whole life. Just coming from where I’m coming from. Just because you hear ‘Compton,’ you hear ‘Watts,’ it’s, ‘He’s a thug, he’s a gangster.’ This, that and the other.

"And then you hear, ‘Stanford,’ and you’re like, ‘That doesn’t even make sense.’ ‘That’s an oxymoron.’ You fight it for so long and to have it come back up. For people to start to use it again, it’s frustrating."

Research provided to the website Deadspin.com by media analytics company iQ Media revealed that the term was used in connection with Sherman’s post-game rant 625 times on Monday — more than any other day in the past three years.

Sherman was pilloried for his over-the-top description of Crabtree, a choking gesture toward 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the bombastic interviews he provided to multiple networks after the game. But Sherman stands behind what happened, citing the emotions that go into a football game and the emotional response that comes from that.

His teammates wouldn’t have it any other way.

"I have tons of respect for him," Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson said. "He’s one of the most intelligent people you’ll ever meet. He plays the game of football with tons of passion, tons of fire. We were going to the Super Bowl. It’s one of those things where he just got excited. I know he apologized and all that, but he’s one of those people who’s always focused on how he can improve and how he can help our football team. He’s a great teammate."

Sherman said that what happened in the 48 hours after the end of the NFC Championship Game will not affect who he is or how he plays on the field. He doesn’t plan to be any less boisterous, agitating or different.

And he hopes people won’t hold his actions against the other 52 players on the Seahawks roster.

"If they label me a villain, then (let) it be what it is," he said. "Maybe my actions did (warrant that). No, I don’t think I’m a villain. I think people always say the old cliche: ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ But they’re judging a book by its cover. They’re judging me off the football field. On the football field, during a game, right after a game. They’re not judging me off of who I am.

"Now, if I had gotten arrested 10 times or committed all these crimes or gotten suspended for fighting off the field, or done all that — then I could accept being a villain. But I’ve done nothing villainous."